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Linux installation question

  Date: Jan 23    Category: Unix / Linux / Ubuntu    Views: 379
  

I'm a Linux nube with what I hope is an unusual situation that someone can help
with. I have a Dell desktop with one large hard drive, dual booting between
Windows XP and Ubuntu 10.x. As I was in the process of upgrading my Ubunut
installation from 10.04 to 10.10, I had a brown-out coupled with my UPS getting
flaky. This resulted in my computer shutting down mid-upgrade. The end result
is I now have a computer with one functional Windows XP installation, along with
two non-functional Ubuntu installations. I can boot into them, but that's about
all. Whenever I try to run any applications, I get errors referring to missing
dependencies. I tried running the update manager, but that didn't help. So,
after the long narrative, here's the question. What do I need to do to
reinstall Ubuntu 10.10 as my only Linux partition, along side my Windows
installation, without damaging my Windows installation. I'd also like to clean
up the Grub menu so that it only lists the Windows and the one functional Linux
installation. Thanks all for your help.

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5 Answers Found

 
Answer #1    Answered On: Jan 23    

Try to finish the upgrade by opening a terminal and typing or pasting this:

sudo dpkg --configure -a

You can also try
sudo apt-get -f install

If this does not fix it then you can try the recovery mode from grub. It
should allow you to finish the upgrade.

Let us know if this does not fix it and what error messages you are seeing.

 
Answer #2    Answered On: Jan 23    

how do you recover from grub?

 
Answer #3    Answered On: Jan 23    

It all depends on the version that you are running. Newer versions have a
grub entry that say (recovery mode). It is usually the third or so entry.
Just cursor down and press enter. Use the latest kernel with recovery mode
after it.

This is how it works:
unixlab.blogspot.com/.../...ntu-recovery-mode.html

The original poster will want the third entry Repair broken packages.

 
Answer #4    Answered On: Jan 23    

Boot into the 10.04 installation and then open Terminal to run the
following commands ...

sudo dpkg configure -a

sudo apt-get upgrade fix-broken

That should sort it for you :-)

FWIW - upgrades can always be flaky anyway so if this still doesn't
sort it you may be looking at a clean install of 10.10 instead. Not as
difficult as that may seem ( apart from the saving data etc ). First
of all boot into Windows and delete all non-windows partitions to
leave a single empty partition then use a 10.10 Live CD to do the
install and when asked where it has to go you select the empty
partition and let it do a clean install. This will also sort out the
dual-boot menu too.

Purists may feel booting with a Live CD and using GParted to delete
the partitions not required is a better way of course, but letting
Windows do the deleting is possibly less traumatic for poor Windows

 
Answer #5    Answered On: Jan 23    

Download and burn the Puppy LuPu 525 Live CD, upon starting it should find your
Ubuntu installation and offer to repair if it sees an "unclean hard drive"
shutdown situation. Did you try to run Ubuntu 10.10 from Live CD to select
repair of Ubuntu? From Ubuntu Live CD, go to System>Administration>Disk
Utility...you'll see Smart and Check file system...Report back if you need more
help.
Don't worry for the Windows' side, since your Windows' Install CD can repair it
to start over with a clean Ubuntu install. Puppy or Ubuntu Live CDs can mount
and copy files from the hard drive to an external USB mounted hard drive, too.

 
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